Milada f Czech, SlovakOriginally a diminutive of names containing the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear". It can also be derived from Czech and Slovak
mladá meaning
"young", ultimately from Old Slavic *
moldŭ.
Milena f Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, ItalianFeminine form of
Milan. It began to be used in Italy in honour of Milena Vukotić (1847-1923), mother of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III. In Italy it can also be considered a combination of
Maria and
Elena.
Mimoza f Albanian, GeorgianFrom the Albanian and Georgian word for the mimosa plant, a flowering herb. It is ultimately derived from Greek
μῖμος (mimos) meaning "mimic".
Mioara f RomanianContracted form of
Marioara. It coincides with the Romanian word
mioara, the definite form of
mioară meaning
"lamb".
Mircea m RomanianRomanian form of
Mirče. This name was borne by a 14th-century ruler of Wallachia, called Mircea the Great.
Mirdza f LatvianDerived from Latvian
mirdzēt meaning
"to shine, to glitter". This is the name of a tragic character in the play
Vaidelote (1894) by the Latvian poet and playwright Aspazija.
Mirica f CroatianFrom the Slavic element
mirŭ meaning
"peace, world" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Miruna f RomanianPossibly derived from the Slavic word
mir meaning
"peace" or Romanian
mira meaning
"to wonder, to astound".
Mischa m & f Dutch, GermanDutch and German form of
Misha. It is occasionally used as a feminine name in Dutch.
Mithra m Persian MythologyFrom Avestan
𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬭𐬀 (mithra) meaning
"oath, covenant, agreement", derived from an Indo-Iranian root *
mitra meaning "that which binds". According Zoroastrian mythology Mithra was a god of light and friendship, the son of the supreme god
Ahura Mazda. Worship of him eventually spread outside of Persia to the Roman Empire, where it was known as Mithraism.
Mitică m RomanianDiminutive of
Dumitru. This is the name of a character in early 20th-century stories by the Romanian author Ion Luca Caragiale.
Mohana m & f HinduismMeans
"bewitching, infatuating, charming" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
मोहन (an epithet of the Hindu gods
Shiva and
Krishna) and the feminine form
मोहना (spelled with a long final vowel).
Momoka f JapaneseFrom Japanese
百 (momo) meaning "hundred" or
桃 (momo) meaning "peach" combined with
花 (ka) meaning "flower" or
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Monica f English, Italian, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Late RomanMeaning unknown, most likely of Berber or Phoenician origin. In the 4th century this name was borne by a North African saint, the mother of Saint
Augustine of Hippo, whom she converted to Christianity. Since the Middle Ages it has been associated with Latin
moneo "advisor" and Greek
μονός (monos) "one, single".
... [more] Monika f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, LatvianForm of
Monica used in various languages.
Morana f Slavic Mythology, CroatianFrom Old Slavic
morŭ meaning
"death, plague". In Slavic mythology this was the name of a goddess associated with winter and death.
Moriah f English (Modern)From Hebrew
מֹרִיָה (Moriya) possibly meaning "seen by
Yahweh". This is a place name in the Old Testament, both the land where
Abraham is to sacrifice
Isaac and the mountain upon which
Solomon builds the temple. They may be the same place. Since the 1980s it has occasionally been used as a feminine given name in America.
Mothra f Popular CultureFrom Japanese
モスラ (Mosura), itself derived from the English word
moth. This is the name of a giant moth-like creature in Japanese movies, starting 1961.
Mwenya f & m ChewaFrom the Chewa word for a type of flowering tree (species Breonadia salicina).
Naamah f BiblicalMeans
"pleasant" in Hebrew. This name is borne in the Old Testament by both a daughter of
Lamech and a wife of
Solomon. Some later Jewish texts give Naamah as the name of
Noah's wife, even though she is not named in the Old Testament.
Naenia f Roman MythologyMeans
"incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.
Naiara f BasqueFrom the Basque name of the Spanish city of Nájera, which is Arabic in origin. In the 12th century there was a reported apparition of the Virgin
Mary in a nearby cave.
Nélida f Literature, SpanishCreated by French author Marie d'Agoult for her semi-autobiographical novel
Nélida (1846), written under the name Daniel Stern. It was probably an anagram of her pen name
Daniel.
Nerina f ItalianProbably from Greek
Νηρηΐδες (see
Nereida). This name was used by Torquato Tasso for a character in his play
Aminta (1573), and subsequently by Giacomo Leopardi in his poem
Le Ricordanze (1829).
Nevada f & m EnglishFrom the name of the American state of
Nevada, which means "snow-capped" in Spanish.
Nikita 1 m Russian, Ukrainian, BelarusianRussian form of
Niketas. This form is also used in Ukrainian and Belarusian alongside the more traditional forms
Mykyta and
Mikita. A notable bearer was the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971).
Njinga m & f MbunduPossibly from a Bantu root meaning
"to twist, to wrap" (
kujinga in Kimbundu), alluding to the wrapping of the umbilical cord around the neck of the newborn. This name was borne by kings and queens of the African kingdoms of Ndongo and Kongo, notably a 17th-century queen of Ndongo who resisted the Portuguese.
Nkruma m & f AkanMeans
"ninth born child" in Akan.
Nnenna f IgboMeans
"father's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's paternal grandmother.
Nympha f Ancient Greek, Biblical Greek, BiblicalVariant of
Nymphe (as well as the usual Latinized form). This name is mentioned briefly by
Paul in his epistle to the Colossians in the New Testament, though it is uncertain whether it refers to a woman
Nympha or a man
Nymphas. The name was later borne by an obscure 4th-century saint possibly from Palermo, Sicily.
Obinna m IgboMeans
"heart of the father" in Igbo, from
óbì "heart, mind" and
ńnà "father".
Odessa f VariousFrom the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of
Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of
Odysseus.
Odilia f Germanic (Latinized)Derived from the Old German element
uodil meaning
"heritage" or
ot meaning
"wealth, fortune". Saint Odilia (or Odila) was an 8th-century nun who is considered the patron saint of Alsace. She was apparently born blind but gained sight when she was baptized.
Olivia f English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, DutchThis name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time that may have been based on
Oliva or
Oliver, or directly on the Latin word
oliva meaning
"olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman wooed by Duke
Orsino. Instead she falls in love with his messenger Cesario, who is actually
Viola in disguise.
... [more] Oneida f EnglishFrom the name of a Native American tribe, perhaps meaning "standing rock".
Ophrah m BiblicalMeans
"fawn" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of both a man mentioned in genealogies and a city in Manasseh.
Oriana f Italian, SpanishPossibly derived from Latin
aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish
oro or French
or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight
Amadis.
Orinda f English (Rare)Probably an elaboration of Spanish
oro "gold". This was the pseudonym of the English poet Katherine Philips (1631-1664).
Osanna f ItalianItalian form of
Hosanna. This was the name of a 15th-century Italian saint and mystic, as well as a 16th-century Montenegrin saint.
Pamela f EnglishThis name was invented in the late 16th century by the poet Philip Sidney for use in his romance
Arcadia (1593). He possibly intended it to mean
"all sweetness" from Greek
πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and
μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". It was later employed by author Samuel Richardson for the heroine in his novel
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740), after which time it became used as a given name. It did not become popular until the 20th century.
Parisa f PersianMeans
"like a fairy" in Persian, derived from
پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".
Pavana m HinduismMeans
"purification, wind, air" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Vayu.
Petula f English (Rare)Meaning unknown, created in the 20th century. The name is borne by the British singer Petula Clark (1932-), whose name was invented by her father.
Pomona f Roman MythologyFrom Latin
pomus "fruit tree". This was the name of the Roman goddess of fruit trees.
Portia f EnglishVariant of
Porcia, the feminine form of the Roman family name
Porcius, used by William Shakespeare for the heroine of his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596). In the play Portia is a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to defend
Antonio in court. It is also the name of a moon of Uranus, after the Shakespearean character.
Quanah m Comanche (Anglicized)From Comanche
kwana meaning
"fragrant, smelly". Quanah Parker (1845-1911) was a 19th-century chief of the Kwahadi Comanche.
Raabi'a f ArabicMeans
"fourth" in Arabic, a derivative of
أربعة (ʾarbaʿa) meaning "four". This name was borne by an 8th-century Sufi mystic from Basra in Iraq.
Rahula m Sanskrit, BuddhismMeaning uncertain, possibly derived from the name of the demon
Rahu. This was the name of the son of Siddhartha Gautama (the
Buddha).
Rajiya f ArabicMeans
"hope" in Arabic, derived from
رجا (rajā) meaning "to hope, to anticipate".
Raluca f RomanianRomanian diminutive of the Greek name
Rallou, of uncertain meaning. It was popularized by the actress Rallou Karatza (1778-1870), a daughter of the prince of Wallachia Ioannis Karatzas, who was of Greek background.
Ramona f Spanish, Romanian, EnglishFeminine form of
Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel
Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.
Raniya f ArabicPossibly related to the Arabic root
رنا (ranā) meaning
"to gaze, to look intently".
Ravana m HinduismMeans
"roaring, screaming", derived from Sanskrit
रव (rava) meaning "roar, yell". In the Hindu epic the
Ramayana this is the name of the demon king who abducts
Sita.
Rawiya f ArabicMeans
"storyteller" in Arabic, derived from
روى (rawā) meaning "to relate, to tell".
Regina f English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late RomanMeans
"queen" in Latin (or Italian). It was in use as a Christian name from early times, and was borne by a 2nd-century saint. In England it was used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Virgin
Mary, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A city in Canada bears this name, in honour of Queen Victoria.
Renata f Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Polish, Czech, Lithuanian, Croatian, Slovene, Romanian, Late RomanFeminine form of
Renatus.
Reumah f BiblicalMeans
"elevated, exalted" in Hebrew, derived
רָאַם (raʾam) meaning "to rise". According to the Old Testament, Reumah was a concubine of
Nahor and by him the mother of four sons.
Rhonda f EnglishProbably a blend of the sounds of
Rhoda and
Linda, but maybe also influenced by the name of the Rhondda Valley in South Wales and/or the noted British feminist Margaret Mackworth, Viscountess Rhondda (1883-1956). This name has only been used since the beginning of the 20th century, at first rarely. It started becoming popular in the mid-1940s at the same time as the American actress Rhonda Fleming (1923-2020), born Marilyn Louis. It peaked in the United States in 1965 and thereafter declined.
Ritika f HindiMeans either
"movement, stream" or
"brass" in Sanskrit.
Rizpah f BiblicalMeans
"coal, hot stone" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament Rizpah was one of
Saul's concubines. After her sons were put to death by the Gibeonites, she guarded the displayed bodies for five months to prevent animals from eating them.
Rodica f RomanianMeaning uncertain, perhaps from Romanian
rod (a Slavic borrowing) meaning
"fruit" or Greek
ῥόδον (rhodon) meaning
"rose".
Rosina f ItalianItalian diminutive of
Rosa 1. This is the name of a character in Rossini's opera
The Barber of Seville (1816).
Rowena f EnglishMeaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements
hroð "fame" and
wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements
ron "spear" and
gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819).
Roxana f English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latin form of
Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxane), the Greek form of an Old Persian or Bactrian name, from Old Iranian *
rauxšnā meaning
"bright, shining". This was the name of Alexander the Great's first wife, a daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes. In the modern era it came into use during the 17th century. In the English-speaking world it was popularized by Daniel Defoe, who used it in his novel
Roxana (1724).
Rubena f EsperantoFrom Esperanto
rubeno meaning
"ruby", ultimately from Latin
ruber "red".
Sabina f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Swedish, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Sabinus, a Roman cognomen meaning
"a Sabine" in Latin. The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy, their lands eventually taken over by the Romans after several wars. According to legend, the Romans abducted several Sabine women during a raid, and when the men came to rescue them, the women were able to make peace between the two groups. This name was borne by several early saints.
Sakura f JapaneseFrom Japanese
桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom", though it is often written using the hiragana writing system. It can also come from
咲 (saku) meaning "blossom" and
良 (ra) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable" as well as other kanji combinations.
Samara f English (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)Possibly derived from the name of the city of
Samarra (in Iraq) or
Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel
Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.
... [more] Sandra f Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, RomanianShort form of
Alessandra. It was introduced to the English-speaking world (where it is usually used independently of
Alexandra) by author George Meredith, who used it for the heroine in his novel
Emilia in England (1864) and the reissued version
Sandra Belloni (1887). A famous bearer is the American actress Sandra Bullock (1964-).
Sarava m Various (Rare)From a phrase used by members of the Candomblé religion (an African religion that was taken to Brazil by African slaves), which means
"good luck".
Sarika f Hindi, MarathiFrom a Sanskrit word referring to a type of thrush (species Turdus salica) or myna bird (species Gracula religiosa).